TheDarkestShinobi: Hello reader! I'm finishing up stories and poppin out new ones. This one centers around a future Ryu Hayabusa investigating the death of his wife Kasumi, whether or not you're a fan of the couple I think you will enjoy the story. It is less of the violence of most ninja stories and more of the sneaky detective work, but there will be violence too.

Story start

"What did the doctors say?" Ryu asked as the other male walked into the room. Tademo Sereo didn't seem to be fazed by the intrusion and simply turned to face the other after he reached the center of the room. Hayabusa Ryu leaned against the wall with one leg bent and his arms crossed his attire a black white and gold garb. Sereo crossed his ankles and leaned against the table looking away and out the window to watch the Mugen Tenshin ninja walk by. He looked back; they would never know that the other ninja on their list was this far into their village. They would never know their defenses had been so weak.

"It was overkill." He stated and watched the other look down in the closest to anger Ryu had ever shown him. He shook his head and calmed himself, his hair flowing behind him.

"Where?" He asked with a voice full of venom and Sereo wondered if anyone had heard that tone and lived. He uncrossed his arms and let them rest on the table behind him, feigning ignorance he shrugged.

"Ayane sama would not say."

It was a lie and they both knew it.

Ryu rushed the other man and pinned him to the table with one arm, the other had drawn a kunai and placed it next to Sereo's throat. Sereo had quickly been overcome but locked eyes with the former Hayabusa ninja like he was in the superior position. Ryu pushed against him trying to intimidate him but Sereo remained calm.

"Tell me." It was a deadly emotionless voice with a tint of danger and it made Sereo wary, nonetheless he kept his ground and didn't flinch, Ryu would know if anything changed and therefore nothing could. The kunai sliced the skin about his neck upon contact with the soft flesh and he could feel the blood trickling down. Sereo took a breath sensing the desperation with the elder man.

"What good will it do!" He shot out as the hand on his chest pushed him down further. He felt the table start to warp underneath him and knew if the table broke he'd have help. Super ninja or not, the 50 year old man would not defeat all of the ninja that would rush into his room at the sound of a broken table. He couldn't even hold the kunai with the control he once had.

"Just let her go!"

He felt the pressure loosen and the kunai was holstered. Ryu turned away from him and Sereo watched from his position on the table not wanting to provoke the other. Sereo waited a few seconds and Ryu ran a hand through his thinning locks.

"Just take me there. I want to see it."

Sereo rubbed his neck as he sat up and the other took a few steps towards the door. He took a deep breath as quietly as he could so the other wouldn't know he still held that power over him. The other man took heavy footsteps for a ninja and his hair was turning gray. His frame was smaller than it was twenty years ago and Sereo was honestly surprised his ninja garb still fit. He must have really been desperate if he risked coming this far into the Mugen Tenshin. Even with his level, his age and lack of recent training made this too much of a risk. All of this was for her. This is what love did to a person. This is why they were all taught better than to fall privy to its spell.

"Ryu..."

He turned towards the other man and knew just how bad of a state he was in for the other to use such a tone of pity. He stopped being a ninja a while ago, he was happy to let go of that life, it took some getting used to, meeting people and not having to kill them but it was a pleasant change, as she had said it would be.

Still, he had never been stared down before. Never been called Ryu and not Hayabusa sama. He had always had that respect and fear from other shinobi, he had been the best and should not have been so easily forgotten, it was of no consequence until now.

Now that they took her.

"I just want to see where she died."

Ryu felt the hard roads give way to soft ground beneath his feet as cots turned into trees. He kept his steps light knowing that this type of dirt would capture his footprints and keep them until the wind snatched them away. He wondered if their footprints were still there. The wind had been nonexistent since the murder. His eyes trailed back to the ninja in front of him. His forest green outfit made it somewhat difficult for Ryu to keep track of him. He shook his head. Knowing the little runt he probably did it on purpose.

Ryu felt his skin shiver and chills crawl up his spine as the scent entered his nostrils. It was heavy and metallic and something he was all too used to before. He felt like vomiting but refused to let himself do that, especially in front of the other who remained unfazed. He slowed his steps, if he could smell it then they were close and as expected the other stopped.

Ryu took a few more steps and stopped when he was in front of the other. Sereo then took off his bag and placed it on the ground before kneeling and opening it. Ryu looked over his shoulder and froze when the other pulled out a blue garb from the bag. He didn't say anything but handed it to the other.

"She was wearing her ninja garb!" It wasn't a question but Sereo looked at it before answering.

"She was murdered. And this was wrong, but if you follow this path you'll find answers you wish you hadn't."

Ryu's breath hitched as he lifted the garb up by its shoulders. It was a vibrant blue and therefore new. He felt his teeth clench. He seen the red spots and a lump rose in his throat. His eyes followed the shoulder down to see the first hole, a kunai, his mind told him, from the hole and entrance pattern. He continued down to see a sword slice. Below that was a hole from a ninja star. He looked down and shook his head willing tears away. On the other side, where her heart was, were two kunai marks and a shuriken to the shoulder. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest wanting to break free of it and let the garb fall to the ground as he fell to his knees.

Sereo vanished behind him and left him to mourn.

This is where she died.

She can't be dead.

But she is isn't she?

He stood and took a few steps forward, his eyes fixated on the ground. He knew he found the battlefield when he seen the blood soaked into the dust. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them.

There was Kasumi's footprint, deeper in the front of the boot. The scene flashed in his mind.

Kasumi pressed down on the front of the boot and blocked the attacker's sword with her tanto.

The footprints continued and another set met them before an imprint of a body. Her footsteps stopped and where the next one should have been there was a circle. Another flash,

She panted and ducked before trying to escape, a built ninja tried to attack her but she spun sticking one leg out and knocked him off balance.

Another few footsteps before a stagger.

She continued forward before she felt the impact of the shuriken in her shoulder. She jerked back.

In a different spot there was a spray of blood.

Kasumi leaned back but it wasn't enough, the sword hit its mark and her stomach was cut open as blood started pouring out.

Ryu shook his head and walked outside of the battlefield to see where Kasumi's started. He stopped suddenly when he seen all four prints together. They were running a formation. She was betrayed and attacked by her own team. He turned towards the battlefield and the scene played out before his eyes.

Kasumi ran alongside three others ready to retire to the Mugen Tenshin after a long day of missions, behind her two of the others send a subtle signal to each other and Kasumi senses something is off. She turns and ducks to avoid a sword. She calls out, trying to stop them when the third trips her, her hand pushes down against the dirt as she rises, the kunai landed there seconds later.

The footsteps scramble.

They surround her and she flips before disappearing and landing on the ground, she turns and blocks two strikes with her hands before the other pulls out a sword. She takes two defensive steps back while keeping an eye out for the others she lost sight of. Kasumi pressed down on the front of the boot and blocked the attacker's sword with her tanto. She pushed him away and turned to see a path she could take to escape and started down it. She panted and ducked before trying to escape, a built ninja tried to attack her but she spun sticking one leg out and knocked him off balance.

The scuffs of a stagger,

She continued forward before she felt the impact of the shuriken in her shoulder. She jerked back and cried out while looking into the eyes of a faceless assailant. She jumped up and met him in midair, she vanished and appeared behind the other who clutched their stomach and fell motionless to the ground. She turned when she heard the sound of kunai breaking through the wind.

The blood spatter by two handprints,

Kasumi brought out her wizikazi blade and deflected a few before back flipping to avoid the others but one was sent after she was in the air and the kunai landed next to her right breast. She pulled it out and used it to deflect another and the blood landed by her handprints below. She jumped back and panted for a few seconds while the other three planed their assault of the girl. Kasumi threw the kunai on the floor and it rolled away as she drew her blade and sunk into her defensive stance.

A spray of blood,

They double teamed her, both wielding a long blade. She pushed through the pain in her shoulder and arms and managed to ward them off for a while. She kept looking for the third's strike that she missed blocking the second's. Kasumi leaned back but it wasn't enough, the sword hit its mark and her stomach was cut open as blood started pouring out. The two smirked and leaned back.

The imprint of her body.

As soon as she let the cry pass her lips and the blood hit the floor she felt the two blades enter her chest. One was a shuriken to the stomach; it hurt and burned and brought tears to her eyes but was non-fatal. The other, however, flew straight into her heart and Kasumi froze; her body stiffening as it took a few steps back. Her eyes were wide and her mouth open slightly. Her breath came in as a gasp before she fell flat on her back. Just before she could stop feeling anything she felt the jolt of pain from another kunai, being thrust into her heart for good measure and security.

Ryu tried but no matter how hard he looked into the tree lines he couldn't see the faces of the people she was with, he could only see her body jerking from the shuriken and kunai, only hear the gurgle and gasp from her lips, could only feel her slipping through his fingers.

He walked forward when he spotted the glint off a kunai. He picked it up and inspected it. He turned it over in his hand thankful it had missed the target it had been thrown at. The blade was standard except for that one detail by the handle. He had worked with Ayane enough to know it was a blade made by the Hajin Mon blacksmith.

He would start there.